


Pan Sports-Anime Defense Corp

by BlueMinuet



Category: Love Live! School Idol Project, Ookiku Furikabutte | Big Windup!, Pacific Rim (2013), Tennis no Oujisama | Prince of Tennis, 弱虫ペダル | Yowamushi Pedal
Genre: Injury, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-27
Updated: 2015-12-27
Packaged: 2018-05-27 05:44:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 5,868
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6272128
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlueMinuet/pseuds/BlueMinuet
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A collection of connected fics for various sports anime set in the Pacific Rim universe, written as different fills for SWAG 2016.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Yowapeda :: Tadokoro & T2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chief J-Tech Tadokoro has mixed feelings when his adopted sons are accepted as jaeger pilots. 
> 
> Original post [here](https://referees.dreamwidth.org/3776.html?thread=235968#cmt235968).

“Tadokoro!” 

Tadokoro smiled at the shout, setting down his tray at the mess. The room was empty this late at night — he’d been delayed with work on the jaeger restoration, and had missed dinner with everyone else — so he was happy to have some company. He turned to see Teshima running to him, smiling, with Aoyagi closely behind him. 

“Boys,” he shouted back, grinning equally as wide. “What’s got you in such a good mood?” 

They stopped in front of him, their excitement still plainly evident on their faces. 

“We’re in!” Teshima said. Before Tadokoro could ask what he meant, Teshima held a paper out in front of his face. Tadokoro didn’t bother reading it. His face fell as soon as he saw the PPDC seal at the top. 

“Our test run is in the morning,” Teshima said. There were tears in his eyes, even as he smiled. “We’re going to be rangers!” 

Tadokoro forced a grin as well. “Good. Good!” Tadokoro forced himself to say it, adding more volume to the second one, hoping it would sound more sincere. “Well, better eat up. Need to keep up your strength if you’re going to be good rangers.” 

“We already ate,” Teshima said, Aoyagi nodding alongside him. “We just wanted to tell you as soon as we could. The marshal just issued the orders.” 

Tadokoro forced a grin and nodded. “Well, I’m glad you did. That’s great news.” 

Tadokoro hardly knew what was happening before his boys threw themselves around him in a hug. “Thank you, Tadokoro-san,” Teshima whispered. “We wouldn’t be here without you.”

Tadokoro hesitated, before pulling them close so that he had each of their heads to one of his temples. “Go rest, boys. You’ve got a big day tomorrow.” 

Teshima quickly thanked him again, and soon the two boys were gone. Tadokoro sat down and returned to his plate, but suddenly he didn’t feel hungry anymore.

* * *

**Ten years ago**

There were so many alarms screeching in Tadokoro’s ears that he wasn’t sure if any part of the jaeger was still in working order anymore. He was almost certain that some of the ringing was coming from his own head. With some effort, Tadokoro reached up and slammed the jaeger’s drive interface, shutting the whole thing down. 

It didn’t matter what was broken anymore. The kaiju was dead. Tadokoro had managed to keep his jaeger more or less upright, leaned up against what was left of a building and kneeling on the one knee it had left. 

Tadokoro pulled himself free of the drive harness, nearly falling over in the process. He stayed upright out of dogged determination and pulled himself over to his copilot. 

“Kinjou,” he hissed, tapping at the copilot’s helmet. “Hey, come on!” With no answer, he pulled the helmet off of him. Kinjou was still unconscious. Tadokoro had felt the minute one of the kaiju’s hits knocked his partner out. That was nearly… Tadokoro couldn’t remember how long. It had been nothing but anger and adrenaline keeping him going until the kaiju went down. 

Tadokoro pulled at the glove of his right hand, and with some effort pulled it off. He pressed his bare fingers to Kinjou’s neck and was happy to find a pulse. He sagged as he sighed in relief. 

“Okay, good.” He patted Kinjou’s cheek. “You stay put.” 

Kinjou didn’t answer. Tadokoro gracelessly slid to the other side of the slanted cockpit. He wasn’t done yet; there was one more thing he needed to check on. 

Tadokoro felt nearly blinded as soon as he opened the hatch and the harsh sunlight filled his vision. He blinked through it though, and stepped out into the open air. There was dust of smashed concrete still settling in the breeze and the acrid smell of kaiju blood. Tadokoro tested his weight on the rubble his jaeger was leaned up against, and found it solid. 

“Hey!” he shouted out to the empty street in front of him, and listened as his own voice echoed for a beat. “Hey, you out there?” He was almost certain he’d seen something before the sensors in the jaeger went down. Hard to tell anything that was going on, but he had to see. 

“It’s safe to come out!” he added, cupping his hands to his mouth. “The monster’s dead!” 

Tadokoro heard more than saw the movement; it could have easily just been more rubble setting, but he looked down all the same when he heard something moving. A young boy, no more than ten, was slowly crawling out from behind a flipped car. 

“Whoa, okay!” Tadokoro called out to him. “Stay there! I’ll come to you!” 

It was easier said than done. Tadokoro felt like his head was threatening to explode, but he carefully made his way down, sliding down rubble until he was finally on ground level. 

It was there that he realized there was a second kid; a blond haired one stepped out as well, clinging to the shirt of the black haired boy that had stepped out first. 

They both looked terrified. 

“Hey, it’s okay,” Tadokoro said, moving towards them slowly. He tried to kneel down to their level, but the movement proved to be too much. His head spun and he lost his balance, falling onto his knee. To Tadokoro’s surprise, the two boys ran up to him, grabbing at his shoulders to keep him upright. 

“Are you okay?” the black haired boy asked.

Tadokoro nodded. “I’m fine. Just a bit tired after a long day at work,” he said with a grin. “Are you two hurt?” 

Neither of them answered. Their faces were ashen and covered in tears. Tadokoro held his arms out, pulling them closer to him again. “Hey. Come here. You’re alright now.” 

The boys slowly relaxed against him, burying their faces pressed into the plating of his drivesuit.

Tadokoro heard muffled sobs coming from both of them. 

“Thank you.” 

He wrapped an arm around each of them. “Don’t worry about it.”

* * *

**Present day**

LOCCENT was a flurry of activity in the morning. The marshal stormed in, already in a foul mood and setting the rest of the room on edge. 

“Where’s my head tech?” she asked gripping a hand to the main control seat. She whipped her head around so fast that Tadokoro thought her tight, gold bun of hair might go flying apart. 

“Chief?” she asked, turning her gaze on Tadokoro. 

“Haven’t seen her,” Tadokoro said, keeping his arms crossed in front of him. 

The marshal sighed, and quickly pointed out a different tech. “You. You’re head tech for the day. Congratulations.” 

Tadokoro recognized the kid she’d picked; a transfer from a different base. First day on the job. He looked nearly as nervous as Tadokoro felt as he settled down into the chair. 

“It’s the end of the world and I can’t even keep people in their seats,” the marshal muttered. 

Tadokoro nearly jumped when a hand was placed on his shoulder. He looked to find Kinjou next to him. “Did I miss anything?” Kinjou asked. 

“Nothing yet,” Tadokoro said. “They just got their suits on and the test should begin in a second.” 

Kinjou hummed, and nodded. 

Silence passed between the two of them for a few moments as the ignition checks all went through. Tadokoro was unsurprised as his boys fell into the drift in perfect sync. 

“Where did I go wrong?” Tadokoro whispered to Kinjou, as the jaeger continued passing every check. 

Kinjou raised his eyebrows. “I don’t believe you went wrong at all. Apparently, you’ve raised two fine rangers.” 

“That’s the problem,” Tadokoro said. 

Kinjou frowned. “In that case, you probably went wrong the minute you took them into a shatterdome. You’re a jaeger tech, not to mention a former pilot. You raised them around jaegers. It was only a matter of time before they got in one.” 

Tadokoro puffed up, nearly gearing for an argument, but the rest of the LOCCENT was cheering the successful test run. 

“Congratulations,” the marshal announced. “Looks like your boys are the pilots for our newest restored jaeger, Tandem Star.” 

Tadokoro winced as he heard Teshima and Aoyagi’s laughter filtering through the intercom. 

The moment was short lived as sirens went up. Kinjou swiftly left Tadokoro’s side, pulling up to a console on the marshal’s right. 

“Activity in the breach,” Kinjou said. “Looks like a category four.” 

Tadokoro felt his heart stop, before the marshal spoke up. “Alright. Tandem Star, stand down.You are on reserve. Jaeger crew: get ready to launch Dauntless Oni and Gemini Twin.” She turned to leave the command center, but before she did she stopped next to Tadokoro. “Don’t worry just yet, Chief. Your boys won’t be marching into battle today.” 

Tadokoro tried to calm himself, but he couldn’t. He knew it was still only a matter of time.


	2. Tenipuri :: Golden Pair

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rangers Oishi and Kikumaru run into a little problem on the job. 
> 
> Original post [here](https://referees.dreamwidth.org/3776.html?thread=450240#cmt450240).

Gemini Gold stood firm, even as the massive kaiju swung its bulky tail. The jaeger twisted, flipping backwards and away from the threat. Oishi felt his partner laughing through the drift. 

“He’s just not fast enough to deal with us,” Kikumaru said. 

“Don’t get cocky,” Oishi said, but he was smiling too. 

Things took a turn as the kaiju continued swinging, this time managing to catch the second jaeger of the dropteam, skewering the jaeger’s chest and piercing part of the drivepod. 

“Dauntless Oni, are you alright?” Oishi shouted through the comm. 

The reply was a grabbled mess. One of the pilots of Dauntless Oni was shouting, but Oishi and Kikumaru could only hear every other word. They both watched as Dauntless Oni lost it’s balance, threatening to sink into the water. 

“Let’s go,” Kikumaru shouted, but he didn’t need to. Oishi could feel the determination to save the other jaeger flowing through him, and he wasn’t sure if it was one or both of them. 

Either way, they ran through the water and Gemini Gold jumped sideways to put itself between the kaiju and the fallen jaeger. There was a jolt as they took the finishing blow that had been meant for Dauntless Oni, but it didn’t matter. They were already prepared for it, rocking with the blow and returning with one of their own. 

Oishi couldn’t stop grinning. This was what he loved about piloting. Twice the brainpower, twice the reflexes. Nothing was better for feeling unstoppable. 

The high was short-lived though, as the kaiju sucker punched the drivepod. It held much more power than either of them had expected, and they went flying, even when they were still in their harnesses. Oishi felt like he had blacked out for just moment, and saw spots in his vision as the kaiju continued to pummel his jaeger. 

But most concerning of all was he utter silence in his mind. He was out of the drift. He looked over to see Kikumaru hanging limp in his harness. 

“Kikumaru!” he shouted, but there was no answer. 

The kaiju was still attacking, and Oishi held up a hand to shield himself. He was a bit surprised to find the jaeger still responding to his commands. 

“LOCCENT, we need help,” he shouted into the comm. “Dauntless Oni is down and my copilot is out.” 

“We read you,” the marshal replied. “We’re deploying Tandem Star. Just hang on until then.”

It was easier said than done. Oishi did his best to block the kaiju’s blows, but could do nothing to fight back. No matter how hard he tried, the jaeger’s left side wouldn’t respond to him. 

Gemini Gold was forced to it’s knees, and Oishi was sure the next blow would be the end. He fliched as he held out the jaeger’s right arm to block. But just as the kaiju was swinging down for a final blow, Gemini Gold’s left arm flew up, it’s blade deploying to stab the monster between its ribs. 

Oishi realized he could feel the drift fading back into his mind, and he looked over to find Kikumaru awake, holding out his left arm in a punching motion. 

Kikumaru smiled. “Thanks for holding on ‘til I got back, Oishi.” 

Oishi was flooded with relief. “Anytime.”


	3. Oofuri :: Abe/Mihashi

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mihashi is nervous on his first day at a new shatterdome.
> 
> Original post [here](http://sportsanime.dreamwidth.org/4403.html?thread=2900787#cmt2900787).

Mihashi made his way up the creaky metal stairs, carefully balancing his lunch tray as he walked. When he was finally up on the scaffolding in the jaeger assembly bay, he was shocked to find that he wasn’t the only one there. A black haired man was also sitting on the grated surface, with a half eaten lunch tray in front of him. Mihashi backed away slowly. 

“Oh, um… Sorry to bother you,” Mihashi said. “I should, um…”

The man looked around slightly. “There’s plenty of scaffold left if you wanted to eat up here.” 

“Oh, um.” Mihashi balanced his tray while picking at his face nervously. “Well, I just didn’t want to be in the way. You work up here, right?” 

The man grunted and shrugged. “I’m not working right now.” 

Mihashi nodded. It seemed like invitation enough, so he sat his tray down a few paces away.

“You just transferred here, right?” the man asked. 

“Yeah,” Mihashi said. “I’m Mihashi. I was in the San Francisco dome before I was re-stationed here.” 

The man nodded. “I’m Abe.” 

Mihashi nodded. There didn’t seem to be more conversation forthcoming. Mihashi bit into his sandwich, waiting, but eventually he got tired of the silence. 

“So, how come you eat up here?” Mihashi asked. At Abe’s questioning look, he continued, “I mean, I came up here because I don’t really know anyone yet, so I kind of wanted to eat alone.” 

“Kind of backwards,” Abe muttered, surprising Mihashi. “You’re not going to meet anyone by eating alone.” 

“Well…” Mihashi wasn’t sure if he should point out that technically they had just met. 

Abe looked out across the jaeger bay. One of them was glowing hot with crews welding over it. “I like watching the jaegers,” Abe said. 

Mihashi perked up. “Me too,” he said brightly. “I mean, normally when I see them, they’re just blips on a screen. It’s nice to see them up close once in awhile.” 

Abe nodded. 

Mihashi put his sandwich down, bracing himself. “Could you maybe… I mean, I just had my first shift in LOCCENT earlier today, during the drop. It was great, but… I didn’t really get the chance to see any of the jaegers I was monitoring, so…” 

“You want me to introduce you to them,” Abe guessed. 

“If you could,” Mihashi said quickly. 

Abe stood up, leaning over the railing. He pointed down to the far left end of the bay. “See the one all beat up down at the end? That’s Gemini Gold. Kaiju nearly took off one of her arms. We’ll be working hard to get her running again.” 

Mihashi stuck his head over the railing to look at her, a look of wonder slowly creeping over his features. 

“The one next to that is Dauntless Oni. She went down in the fight, but honestly the right hemisphere pilot was more damaged than the jaeger was. They’ll both be fine,” Abe continued. “Then that one’s Tandem Star. Just got activated today. You probably were here for that part.” 

Mihashi nodded. “First drop, first kill.” 

Abe nodded back to him. “Then this is the last one,” he said, pointing to the one that still had welding crews climbing all over her. “Last of the restorations we’re working on.” 

“What’s her name?” Mihashi asked, staring at the jaeger with wonder. 

Abe sat back down. “Don’t know yet. The new pilots will probably pick it, once they’re chosen.” 

“Cool,” Mihashi whispered. 

Abe was still staring at it. “Some nights, while she was still half built, I would come up here just to look at her, and I’d think —” He stopped abruptly, as if pulled from a trance. He looked down at his near empty lunch tray, his eyes glued to it. 

“What?” Mihashi asked, leaning closer to him. 

“Nothing,” Abe said. “It’s just a dumb fantasy. I used to… think about piloting it myself.” 

Mihashi gaped at him. “That’s so cool! Did you go through ranger training?” 

Abe scoffed. “Who hasn’t?” he asked. “Half of any shatterdome crew is made up of ranger training washouts.” 

Mihashi hummed, shoulders slumping. “I guess that’s true.”

“What about you?” Abe asked. “Another washout?” 

Mihashi froze, before nodding. “Yeah. Me too.” 

Abe nodded in understanding. 

“I couldn’t really find a partner,” Mihashi said. “I mean. I’m not that great at hand-to-hand, and I’m not the most confident fighter, so...” 

Abe looked at him. “So, you just couldn’t find a match? What was your simulator score?” 

“Oh, uh…” Mihashi leaned away, rubbing his neck. “One hundred percent,” he muttered. 

Abe heard him anyway, eyes widening just slightly. “That accurate? You’re joking.” 

Mihashi shook his head. 

“Huh,” was all Abe said looking back to the unnamed jaeger. “You said your name is Mihashi, right?” 

“Yeah?” Mihashi said. 

Abe shifted uncomfortably. “Mihashi… would you like to go to the kwoon room?” 

“What?” Mihashi’s eyes widened. 

Abe shrugged. “It’s normally pretty abandoned at lunch. No reason two washouts couldn’t take a shot at it while everyone else is busy.” 

Mihashi stared at him. “Do you think we could be a match?”

“Who knows,” Abe said. “But seems like a waste to let that one hundred percent accuracy go to waste.” 

Abe stood up and offered his hand. Mihashi grabbed it and smiled. “Okay, let’s try it.” 

Mihashi was a bit shocked to see Abe smile as well.


	4. Love Live :: Nico/Eli

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nico decides to devote herself fully to becoming a jaeger pilot. Eli has a counterpoint. 
> 
> Original post [here](https://referees.dreamwidth.org/3776.html?thread=5568#cmt5568).

Nico ran through the motions again, the staff spinning in her hands as if it were weightless. She had been through these maneuvers so many times that the motions were automatic; so many times that she felt a soreness on her hands, where blisters would form over what wasn’t already covered in calluses. 

She was so focused, she hadn’t noticed when Eli had come in. But sure enough, when she turned slightly, Nico saw the marshal standing in the doorway, her arms crossed over her chest. Nico opted to say nothing to her, continuing her practice. 

“Where the hell have you been?” Eli asked. 

“Here,” Nico grunted. 

“You were on duty in LOCCENT this morning,” Eli continued. “There was an attack and you weren’t at your post.” 

Nico would have shrugged, but her arms were currently busy. “Looks like we survived. Whatever scrub you got to run control while I was gone clearly did okay.” 

Eli charged onto the mat and grabbed Nico’s staff in mid-swing, halting its momentum. “Deserting your post in wartime is pretty serious, Nico.” 

Nico took a step back, wrenching the staff from Eli’s grip. “Whatever. I’m quitting LOCCENT.” 

Eli glared at her. “You can’t be serious.” 

“I am,” Nico said. 

Eli sighed turning away from her. “I know you’re upset that you didn’t find a drift compatible partner this time around. I promised to let you take part in this round of pilot tests because we need all the rangers we can get. But if I had known you would take it this hard, I never would have put you in the rotation.” 

“You’ve got it all wrong,” Nico said. Her grip was tightening on the staff; she was itching to get back to practice, but with Eli standing smack in the middle of the mat there was hardly enough room. “I realized that LOCCENT duties are just holding me back. That’s why there aren’t enough rangers to fill the jaegers we have. You have to commit everything to being a ranger. You can’t just half-ass it, like all these washouts we have. You have to be perfect, and I’ll never be perfect as long as I’m splitting my attention.” 

Eli turned to her. “Did it ever occur to you that perfection isn’t the most important thing?”

Nico scoffed. “That’s exactly the kind of thinking that gets sloppy results from sloppy rangers.”

Eli turn sighed and turned away from her. She may have been about to say something, but Nico didn’t let her. 

“Sloppy results like Vladivostok,” Nico continued. 

Eli rounded on her, eyes burning into her. “What?”

Nico shrugged. “I’m just saying that I don’t think you should be the one lecturing about how to be a good ranger. Someone who grounds a jaeger like that has no room to talk.” 

To Nico’s surprise, Eli marched off of the mat. Just as quickly though she stripped off her uniform jacket, metal pins and honors clanking as they hit the bench. Eli’s movements were sharp — robotic — as she rolled up the sleeves of her shirt into crisp folds, and even hiked up her skirt an inch or so. She slipped out of her uniform shoes before grabbing a staff and joining Nico back on the mat. 

“Fine,” Eli said. “You want to train? Train with me.” 

Nico glared at her. “Fine.” 

Eli was cautious at first, circling the mat slowly. Nico laughed. “Too afraid to charge? Did you lose your courage back in Siberia too?” 

Eli didn’t take the bait, still sizing her up. Nico decided to strike first but was instantly blocked. But once it started, Eli wasn’t one to back down. Nico was soon dodging a flurry of attacks. They weren’t anger fueled, as Nico had hoped, but methodical. 

It wasn’t long before Nico found herself flipped onto her back, Eli pinning one of her legs bent with the staff. 

“You know what,” Eli said. “You’re right. I got sloppy back when I was a ranger, and I paid for it.” 

Nico opened her mouth, but Eli increased the pressure on her leg, making her grimace.

“But I’m still here, Nico,” Eli said. “I’m still doing what needs to be done to help defend the world.” Nico tried to look away, but Eli slammed her hand on the ground to draw her attention. “So what will you do?” Eli asked. “Will you hide behind your damn perfection and sulk, or are you going to do your job?” 

Nico glowered at her. She opened her mouth to reply, when she heard a noise at the door. Both Nico and Eli looked to see two men walking into the kwoon room. Nico recognized one of them as a J-tech, but the other one must have been new. 

They stopped abruptly to see what they had walked in on, and recognizing Eli they both went ramrod straight. The new one gave a nervous salute. “Marshal,” he greeted Eli. 

Eli stood up, freeing Nico. She grabbed her jacket from the bench and picking up her shoes. “At ease,” she said to the men at the door. Then she looked at Nico, her face a stony, emotionless mask. “I’ll see you in LOCCENT in the morning. And if I don’t, don’t bother coming back.” 

She turned and walked away, breezing past the men at the door. “The room is yours, gentlemen.”

* * *

“Get ready, rangers,” Nico said, thumbing the comm button. “You’re not the only test run we have this morning, and it would be nice to be done with Dauntless Oni before lunch time, so keep it quick.”

The ranger-hopefuls didn’t reply to her, so she huffed, and just continued running the pre-checks on the jaeger. 

Eli walked in, standing behind her. Nico could see just the ghost of Eli’s reflection in the displays, and caught just a hint of surprise. 

“The new jaeger is all fired up,” Nico said. “We’re ready for drivepod drop on your mark.” 

Eli nodded. “If the pilots are ready, start the sequence.”

Nico turned to look at Eli for just a moment. “Happy to see me here?” 

Eli blinked at her. “Do you want me to see if I have a medal lying around for deciding to do your job?” 

Nico laughed as she turned back around, starting the ignition sequence. “It wouldn’t hurt.”


	5. Tenipuri :: Emerald Pair

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kaidou is distresed about not finding a drift partner. Inui might have a solution. 
> 
> Original post [here](https://referees.dreamwidth.org/3776.html?thread=394432#cmt394432).

Inui walked into the kwoon room, unsurprised to find Kaidou there. Kaidou, for his part, had a staff in his hand, repeating the same movements over and over again with religious precision. Inui settled down on the steps, setting his notebook down next to him as he sat. 

Minutes passed in completely silence, except for Kaidou’s huffs as he wore himself down to exhaustion. Eventually he stopped, slamming the end of his pole down to the ground, and he slumped onto the wall. 

“Five percent,” Inui said. 

Kaidou looked over at him, his chest still heaving to breathe. “What?” 

“Drift compatibility,” Inui said. “There are many factors that play into drift compatibility. Similar simulator scores, similar fighting styles, similar experiences. It can all be predicted. Up to a point. Five percent ‘random factors’.” He picked up his notebook and turned it over in his hands slowly. “I don’t think anything is beyond being predicted. With enough information, enough data, everything can be predicted. ‘Random factors’ only means that we haven’t found the right data set yet. And with that large of an unknown gap, it might as well be fifty percent, or one hundred. If you don’t have that, you have nothing.” 

Kaidou hissed lowly. “So are you saying I was doomed from the start?”

Inui shook his head. “You fought well, Kaidou. Many of the candidates you spared with were close matches. But none of them perfect. They were all lacking.” 

“Lacking that five percent?” 

Inui nodded. He started unlacing his boots, and soon set them quietly aside. Kaidou raised an eyebrow at this. 

“What are you doing?” Kaidou asked. 

Inui didn’t answer as he stood up, and shucked his jacket off. He stood up, and crossed the room silently while padding on his bare feet. He grabbed a staff of his own, and spun it experimentally. He walked out to the center of the mat, and pointed his staff in Kaidou’s direction. 

Kaidou pushed himself off of the wall, and mopped the sweat from his forehead. He slowly returned to the mat, spinning the staff to bring it to rest behind his arm. Inui bowed to him and Kaidou returned the gesture in kind. 

Inui struck out quickly, wasting no time, but Kaidou was just as fast to block. Inui smiled. Kaidou was hardly slowed by his exhaustion, his reflexes just as sharp as always. 

They both backed away for a moment, squaring around each other. The next strike was Kaidou’s, swinging his staff backhanded over a wide arc. Inui swung his staff over his side just in time to block the blow. 

“You think you can fake being compatible with me?” Kaidou asked. 

“If no one has the necessary common factors to pilot with you, then the only option is to compensate,” Inui said. 

Kaidou stared at him as they both returned to defensive stances. 

“I believe I have gathered enough data on you to correctly compensate for any random variables,” Inui said. “If you’re willing to try.” 

Kaidou struck quickly, landing a point as his staff came to a halt just above Inui’s shoulder. Inui didn’t hesitate though, and attacked the opening Kaidou’s attack had left, landing a hit on Kaidou’s left side. 

“One to one,” Kaidou hissed. 

They backed away from each other again. Kaidou was hunched defensively while Inui stood tall. There was a flurry for strikes and blocks, Inui matching Kaidou hit for hit. When Kaidou went off balance to dodge a hit, Inui swung again, this time taking a wide arc to attack Kaidou’s side. Kaidou blocked, but Inui compensated quickly and hooked the staff around Kaidou’s feet, knocking him onto his back. Kaidou wasn’t outdone yet, and returned in kind with a swipe to Inui’s feet that knocked him down as well. Inui hit the mat, catching himself on his hands before his face hit. He let out a slow exhale of relief. 

To Inui’s surprise, Kaidou laughed. Inui looked at him and smiled. 

“Okay,” Kaidou said. “It might work.” 

Inui’s grin widened. 

“Do you think the marshal will go for it?” Kaidou asked. 

“She seemed okay with the idea when I broached it earlier,” Inui said as he sat up. 

Kaidou stared up at him. “You told the marshal before we sparred?” 

Inui nodded. “She scheduled us for a test run in the morning. She trusts my data.” 

Kaidou hissed. “You could have told me that first.” 

Inui just smiled.

* * *

Inui entered the drivepod first thing in the morning to find Kaidou already in and suited up, rolling nervously on his feet. 

“Ready?” Inui asked him. 

Kaidou simply responded with a curt nod. 

“Get ready, rangers,” the shrill LOCCENT tech said over the radio. “You’re not the only test run we have this morning, and it would be nice to be done with Dauntless Oni before lunch time, so keep it quick.”

The insistence on speeding up seemed to do nothing for Kaidou. It was hard to tell as he went through pre-checks, but Inui had collected enough data on him to know when he was nervous. 

“Do you have any ideas what we should name the jaeger when we get it?” Inui asked him. 

Kaidou paused, and looked at him. No doubt the statement had threw him off with the certainty that they would pilot the jaeger. 

“No,” Kaidou said. 

Inui nodded, stepping into his harness. “I was thinking of one.” 

Kaidou mirrored him. “What is it?” 

“Hydra Ophion.” 

Kaidou said nothing, only slipped on his helmet as Inui did the same. Nothing was said as they strapped in, and soon the drift was initiated, random memories flooding through their minds. On the other side, they opened their eyes, as their thoughts still intermingled. 

Kaidou laughed, so quiet it was barely noticeable, just a soft hiss. 

“You looked through an encyclopedia to find more snake names,” Kaidou said. 

Inui flushed a little. He had seen that moment in the drift, but didn’t realize Kaidou had processed it. “Yes,” he settled on, knowing that Kaidou must be at least a bit aware of his embarrassment. 

“I like it,” Kaidou said. 

Inui looked at him, smiling and feeling warmth spread through the drift as they started the ignition sequence.


	6. Yowapeda :: Kinjou/Makishima

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Makishima gets worried when his lab partner is reassigned. 
> 
> Original post [here](http://sportsanime.dreamwidth.org/4403.html?thread=1378099#cmt1378099).

“Oh, Kinjou,” Makishima said brightly. He would have waved but he was elbow deep in the most recent kaiju specimen that had been delivered to him, his hair pinned up in a messy bun to minimize its exposure to the entrails. 

To Kinjou’s credit, he hardly wrinkled his nose at the smell. 

“You’re late,” Makishima said. “Some splatter may have gotten onto your side of the lab, but that’s what you get.” 

Kinjou nodded. “It’s fine. You should make as much use of the lab space as needed.I won’t be using it for the time being.” 

Makishima looked up him, his smile dropping. “What’s that supposed to mean?” 

Kinjou wasn’t one for hesitation, but there was definitely a longer pause than needed. “I’m being reassigned as a ranger.” 

Makishima pulled his arms out of the kaiju carcass, but laughed. “Kinjou, that’s not a very good joke. I mean, I know you like sparring with that ranger friend of yours, but—” 

“It’s not a joke,” Kinjou said. He pulled out a paper and held it out for Makishima to read. It was a simulator score; ten drops, ten kills. 

Makishima backed away. He began pulling off his arm length gloves and made his way to the sink. “Wait, I don’t understand. I thought you were happy to be on the K-science team. You said so.” 

“Of course I am,” Kinjou said following him. “But as it stands, we need a ranger now more than a scientist.” 

Makishima flicked the water off his hands and grabbed a towel as he turned to face Kinjou. “But Fukutomi already has a partner.”

Kinjou shook his head. “Dauntless Oni went down in the last attack. Both pilots are alive, but Shinkai can’t pilot.” 

“So, you’re the next best thing,” Makishima finished. 

Kinjou nodded. 

Makishima sighed and looked away. 

“I have piloted before, you know,” Kinjou said. 

“How long ago now? A decade,” Makishima said. “Do you even remember how?” he teased. 

Kinjou smirked. “I’m told it’s something like riding a bicycle.” 

Makishima shook his head. “Really, Kinjou. Is this safe? I mean, last time you piloted things went badly. Are you sure you can handle the neural load?” 

“I’m told everything will be fine. I didn’t have any neural damage from my last run.” 

Makishima sighed. “So, I guess I can’t stop you.” 

“Nothing is official yet,” Kinjou said, placing a hand on Makishima’s shoulder. “The test run isn’t until tomorrow. We’re not even sure if it will all go smoothly.” 

There was a glimmer of hope there, but Makishima had a hard time holding on to it. “We’ll see.”

* * *

Makishima knew from the very beginning that Kinjou would be a perfect fit. Why wouldn’t he be? 

There were sirens blaring across the base now, people running around as the announcements looped. 

“Double event in the breach. Jaegers Tandem Star, Hydra Ophion, and Dauntless Oni, prepare for launch.” 

There were people running, but Makishima was not one of them, instead drifting somewhat aimlessly around the elevator. The pilots had to come by here, he was fairly sure. 

Sure enough, he caught sight of Kinjou and Fukutomi, already suited up in black drivesuits, making their way to the elevator. 

“Kinjou!”

Kinjou stopped, and after exchanging a few words with Fukutomi, walked over to Makishima. Fukutomi looked a bit impatient, but waited anyway. 

“Came to see me off?” Kinjou asked. 

Makishima grinned. “Something like that,” he said. “Came to make sure you know what you’re doing. Just because you’ve got the jock suit on doesn’t mean you’ve lost your senses, right? I don’t need to remind you where the weak spots are on a kaiju, do I?” 

Kinjou shook his head. “I think I can remember.” 

Makishima grinned weakly. The moment seemed to stretch out, taut and strained, before the deployment announcement repeated, snapping the tension. 

Kinjou started. “I should—” 

Makishima wrapped his arms around Kinjou’s neck, holding him there. “Make sure you come back, okay?” 

There was a pause, before Makishima felt Kinjou’s arms wrap around him as well. Kinjou said nothing, and for a moment Makishima swore the sirens disappeared. 

It was Kinjou who finally broke the silence. “Your hair smells like kaiju entrails.” 

Makishima laughed, but it came out wet as tears rolled down his face as well.

Kinjou pulled away, but not before ghosting a kiss on Makishima’s forehead. “I’ll see you when I get back.” 

Makishima nodded, and all too soon Kinjou had rejoined Fukutomi and the elevator doors snapped shut, closing them in. 

Makishima wasn’t sure how long he stood there before a hand touched his shoulder and he jumped. He looked to see Tadokoro next to him, with a concerned grimace on his face. 

“Tadokorocchi,” Makishima said, slumping into him. “They’re all going to be okay, right?” 

Tadokoro was silent as his hand wrapped over Makishima’s shoulder. “Yeah. They’re all going to be okay.” 

Makishima stared at the elevator doors, willing them to open even though he knew they wouldn’t. “Thanks for lying to me.” 

Tadokoro nodded. “Let’s get up to LOCCENT. We can watch from there.” 

Makishima nodded, following along and feeling sick to his stomach every step of the way.


End file.
